And It's Hot! Hot! Hot!

A friend and I were talking about how excited we were about the weather this weekend. We're in two different locations, but each place should be in the mid to high 80s. How exciting! I'll be trapped inside for most of the week writing essays to apply for jobs, but this weekend I'm definitely getting out. Anyways, it made me think of this site I recently found. (I forget where I found it. If it was you, let me know and I'll fix it with a shout out.) The site is called "The F***ing Weather." It's pretty funny, especially on days when the weather sucks.

I hope everyone plans to spend the weekend outside. If you're a fan of yard sales, you need to check out this site: Yard Sale Treasure Map. It will provide a map of all the yard sales near you on whatever day you want. Genius! Are you a bigger walker? Why not find out your neighborhood's Walk Score and see what's close to you? Or maybe you're moving and want to find a walk-friendly neighborhood. It's definitely a useful resource.

I have a friend visiting, so I'm be playing tourist again. We'll probably end up walking the National Mall, maybe the zoo and other fun places. What are your plans?

Rearranging My Sheep

If you haven’t noticed, sometimes I post things into the wee hours of the morning. I’m attempting to work on regulating my sleep habits, and I’ve been reading up on getting better sleep for a while now. Some ideas are not applicable to me (like drinking caffeine late at night; I only drink it in the morning if at all) and some ideas just won’t work (like reading before bed; if I get really into the book, I won’t put it down until I’m done). So I thought I’d share some of the ideas that sounded like they could possible work. After all, I know some of you are up in the wee hours, too.

- Get some sunlight! (should be easier now that spring is here) You’re body recognizes that sunlight means daytime and no sunlight means nighttime. How? When the light goes away, your body produces a hormone called melatonin, which (surprise!) promotes sleep. Your body doesn’t equate indoor light with the light outside either. So being indoors all day has a different effect on melatonin, which can interrupt your sleep.

- Tidy up before bed. A messy room/house can increase your stress levels. Who knew? Stress, in turn, affects your sleep!

- Take a hot shower/bath approximately two hours before bedtime. Apparently when your body temperature cools, it makes it easier to sleep and stay asleep. By taking a hot shower/bath, you raise your temperature (duh). But a few hours later, your body temperature drops, and then you can (hopefully) sleep.

- Get serious with that internal clock. As creatures of habit, if you (try) to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, seven days a week, your body will eventually register this schedule. It will get easier to fall asleep on time. (I just have to shift my internal clock back a few hours and I’ll be set!)

The Beauty of a Good Deal

With spring finally arriving and summer on its way, it’s time to shove those sweatpants and heavy jackets back into the depths of your closet and bust out the tank tops! And since you’ll probably be going out more, you’ll probably start to beautify yourself a little more. Well guess what! It’s a good time for that because there are so many great beauty sales happening right now!

My good friend Ale, over at SELF’s Beyond The Beauty Pages blog, has found some amazing deals just for you. (She, along with the other great gals in the beauty department, is also keeping track of spring trends, in case you’re clueless on what to buy!)

And if that’s not enough, check out this coupon for a free Signature Collection Body Care item with a $10 purchase at Bath & Body Works (good until April 12) and this coupon for a free mini body lotion with no extra purchase at Victoria’s Secret (good until April 12). You can also get a free Naturally Tote with a $25 purchase using the same VS coupon until April 6.

And if that’s not enough, get yourself ready for Spa Week, where lots of spa around the country are offering fabulous treatments for a mere $50 starting April 13. Some of these treatments are actually worth up to $300 and maybe more. Book your appointments now though!

Time To Test the Water?

Living in a new place means meeting new people, something I really haven't done that much of. Maybe it's laziness. Maybe I get a little shy when I'm by myself. Maybe I'm not a big fan of going out on my own. Maybe this, maybe that. My list will never end.

Maybe it's time I take action.

Thanks to BettyConfidential.com, I have some new ideas on where to attempt meeting new people (ok, mostly men, but whatever, maybe I'll find new girl friends, too). Their number one place to meet hot guys is... Chipotle! Strange, no? I'm not sure there is one around me. We have a Baja Fresh; will that work? They claim the best place to find a date is... Whole Foods! Yeah, don't shop there. Harris Teeter will have to work. Next, if you're into a hot, sexy, healthy, fit guy, they suggest trying a triathlon. HA! My substitution? The gym. Normally I go in there to actually work out, but maybe I'll hang out a little longer and try to make some friends. I've kind of talked to people, but not really. Plus I think most of them go there to...surprise! work out!

The last two on the list aren't really helpful to me particularly. Best place to be single? Alaska. It has 114 men for every 100 single women, according to the U.S. Census. Sounds great, but something tells me Alaska is not my cup of tea. For all you recent divorcees, your second husband is waiting for you at the playground on a Saturday morning (if you like children, of course. Otherwise maybe hit up Chipotle or Whole Foods.).

With warm weather (supposedly) approaching soon, meeting new people sounds like a good idea. Where do you find luck meeting new people? Let me know, and I'll let you know if any of these places (or substitutes) work out!

I Will Win, Treadmill.

If you know me, you know I HATE RUNNING. If you've read the blog, you know that I have plans to conquer the treadmill. I must say in general I've made progress, but I still have a long way to go. I can run a mile non-stop now as long as a good TV show is on.

As the weather gets warmer, all of these joggers start coming out. Usually I roll my eyes and think awful thoughts when I see them, but maybe (odds are slim to none, but I can dream) this summer (it's already spring; one goal at a time) I will join them. Just in case you plan on doing the same thing, here are some tips for transitioning from the treadmill to... the outdoors from FitSugar.

- Start slow. The full transition apparently takes about one to two months. Who knew it was this serious? One outdoor run a week is a good start, and build as you feel more comfortable.

- Run at a slower pace and run shorter distances to get used to all of those extra outdoor challenges. You don't want to trip or get stuck at the bottom of a hill.

- Be safe! Bring a buddy, an ID and your cell phone, just in case. Fanny pack anyone?

For more tips, check it out here.

Bring On the Warmth

Did you know that tomorrow is the first day of SPRING?! I didn't even realize it! Until I happen to come across another fabulous deal that I felt the need to share!

FREE regular Italian ice's at Rita's from noon to 10 p.m.!! My favorite part is that Rita's is located in 18 states and DC. There's even a Rita's in Carrboro, NC, and Oceanside, NY! With those two and the stores in DC, I'm fairly sure almost all of you can benefit from this deal.

Be sure to let me know what flavors you chose!

Snow Day

This is the view from my dining room window. See all that powdery white stuff on the ground? IT'S SNOW, and quite frankly, I hate snow. It's wet and cold and gross.

In order to hit the gym (which I must because I didn't go yesterday), I must be brave and head into the snow. Don't worry; I'll gather enough courage to go soon enough.

I have to go in order to regain strength and flexibility for this WILD yoga pose. I'm DEFINITELY going to try it (and hope that I don't break anything). And of course, I'll let you know what happens.

Sadly, I also have a sink full of dishes that need washing that I've been putting off all morning by feeding my new addiction to Twitter. I had no idea so many people/establishments were on it. I've also been catching up on all my blog reading. RSS feeds are honestly fantastic. If you don't use them or a reader or whatever, you really ought to.

Ok, so the dishes, the mail (my mom sent me a care package! i hope it's here!) and the gym are calling my name. (More like screaming really.) So I'll be back later this evening.